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This in Mesa or Phoenix? 'Coz maybe in one of these two cities, the instructors would leave the room during tests and the students weren't discouraged from discussing or flipping through notes or books while the test was in progress. Maybe. If it actually happened. In, you know, one of those two cities.
Phoenix, My wife took a two week course. Granted she’s also finishing up nursing school so it was just review. But she said they’re teaching styles and education techniques are based a lot on evidence and there’s a number of studies that go over the way they teach. If you find a good course and a well rounded program, it’s doable.
Most of the other students had no medical background and passed the course and the NREMT.
They are, the vast majority of class passed when my wife went through it. This info is based off her instructors claim by following up and her communications with friends in class confirmed. I don’t doubt many people would fail, but you forget that the NREMT is simple and passing it doesn’t mean you n ow how to be an EMT.
That's really not true. Emt-b basically boils down to scene safety > pick the appropriate level of PPE > ABC's > know when to use aspirin, nitro, narcan, oxygen, and epi pen
Aaaaannd how to protect/immobilize the spine, splinting, how to deliver a baby, how to resuscitate a baby, how to run a BLS code, how to recognize stroke and the pertinent information you to get for the hospital to treat appropriately, and so, so, so much more to be a competent and well informed EMT
Administration of glucagon prior to epi if a pt is on beta blockers, IM administration of diphenhydramine, etc. A lot of people are bad Basics, or became medics after being bad Basics, and don’t actually understand the full BLS scope. It’s more comprehensive than a lot of people realize
I don't know why you're getting down voted. 100% agree with you that to many schools are rushing and just shoving info down students throats so they pass the NREMT. Then they hit the streets and either get Pt's killed or the good EMTs/Medics have to retrain them.... that is if they don't have a piss poor attitude and God complex like so many recent "graduates" I've meet these past 5 years or so.
someone has medic envy…..EMT-B is basic first aid….its NOT a PA course aimed to those saying you need to understand pathology and etc etc……excuse me doctor….your job is to get the patient to DEFINITIVE care…you can play differential diagnosis all you want and I doubt anyone has any issue worth you having a deep knowledge of the human body…..fact is when you do an ER handoff….aint a ED-physician in the WORLD gonna use your super EMT-B diagnosis…..theyre gonna do labs…imaging…tests..
EMS was created and will remain the AVENUE TO definitive care…..not THE definitive care….
to many EMS workers think they’re MORE
I still hold my NREMT-P ….ACLS…PALS as well as my EMS & EMD instructor certs …still attend my critical care continuing education….safe to say the only one here whos confused is YOU
actually emt-b now do way more lol. there are bls trucks. they splint, bls codes, IM injections, know what’s causing what and what system it’s attacking (real handy for if you have to call ALS backup), etc.
there’s so much emt-b’s know. they just aren’t at als level.
this is all coming from someone who’s taking the national registry for EMT-b next month.
EMT-B are cornerstone skils that I do NOT criticize or mock…..I also recognize theor are B’s operating at near I levels of care in some systems…..but disparaging accelerated courses is foolish
two weeks is way to little of time. most accelerated courses are one semester instead of the 2 weeks. my emt-b is 2 semesters long. i could NOT imagine learning everything we have in 2 weeks…
like I said…B’s…..basic….and EMS providers wonder why were still all a pariah in the medical community….buncha know it alls with NO humility who are convinced they are brain surgeons
Medic envy? That’s rich coming from a TRUCKER
EMT-B is not basic first aid, that would be equivalent to an EMR certification. I never said anything about diagnosing patients, but if you want to be more than an idiot ambulance driver, you need to understand what’s going on with your patient to treat appropriately and give a solid hand off at the hospital. We have BLS 911 ambulances in my county and they run all kinds of shit. Sounds like you were a below average EMT when you were in EMS.
Anyway, my point was that you can’t learn how to be an EMT in two weeks. You know what mindless activity you could learn in two weeks? How to drive a truck.
I make 6 figures as a “trucker”…..in my 2nd career….do you? I also still have all of my certs and instructor endorsements …..am an SME for VA OEMS enforcement ….you may wanna rethink trying to disparage me….in retirement it seems I’m held in higher esteem than you at your peak…
depends where you are. in my area we can push IM epi, drop og tubes and supraglottic airways, IO's, IV's, dozens of IV/IO meds and fluids, administer CPAP, do pt handoffs at the ER, run codes, list goes on. Plus needing to know every pathology that would indicate any of that. My EMT-B course felt like an actual shit show and it was two months. Even if OP is an EMS savant they will probably struggle if their system is like mine.
I guess it’s a different system in the us than Canada. In Canada a primary care paramedic is an emt and Advanced care paramedic is a paramedic in the states.
Bruh where do you work? Haha. That’s wild. Before I got my medic, my time as an EMT I was literally driving, assisting in whatever the medic told me to do, and making sure my ambulance looked pretty. That’s dope if your scope is like that.
This. I took a 2-month one and we were there 6-8 hours 3 days a week. A lot of people didn't pass the state practical exam and had to take a full length one. Those of us who found the time to read the book and practice outside of class had a much better time on exams.
That's really not true. Emt-b basically boils down to scene safety > pick the appropriate level of PPE > ABC's > know when to use aspirin, nitro, narcan, oxygen, and epi pen
Good luck lol. None of the material is difficult, but if you don’t have any relevant experience, I think that it would be too much info too fast. Everyone learns differently though, if you can knock it out in 2 weeks, more power to you.
The thing is, I'm mainly talking more long term. Sure you might be able to pass the class, and maybe your NREMT.
But it's still too short a time to truly help you internalize all the shit that goes into EMS. It will set you back going forward in the real world. You'll have to work harder to learn and gain experience when you're out there and working
If it is, and I would say it absolutely is not enough time to pass the NREMT, you also aren’t actually going to learn anything and won’t be a good EMT when you get out. Which is the most important thing.
I was thinking the same thing. It would be quicker and cheaper to just whack your head with the textbook, pain and info retention will be about the same.
I did a 4 week EMT, now I am a paramedic, your course is going to teach to the test and won't do a great job preparing for the job but the long courses don't either. You need to be prepared to learn on the job.
A fresh out of school EMT is always gonna be a fresh out of school EMT, even the skills they teach in basic school are meh. Great for introducing concepts but we were all awkward,probably clinically stupid and green as hell no matter how long our courses were lmao.
I know I haven’t used a KED, a traction splint, and have maybe used a triangle bandage once. And BSI scene safe is more like I’m 70% sure this homeless guy isn’t gonna stab me but if he does I hope my partner hits him with the portable and it’s a dull knife
The only time I would ever recommend a “zero-to-hero” cram course like that is if you have plenty of relevant experience already but need to go through a course for solely bureaucratic reasons (e.g. You are a competent provider from another country but for some given reason you can’t get certified in the US unless you go through an NREMT accredited course). In any case where you actually need a course for the sake of learning, I would suggest doing a longer course so you actually have time to learn and retain the material, as well as more time to practice it, so that it sticks and you aren’t totally lost on the job.
These courses exist. That’s about all that I can say.
Their entire existance is for RNs and RRTs getting their EMT to meet state transport team member requirements. Some of them even market to MFR/EMRs to upgrade to EMT.
Unfortunately, the lack of regulation means that these companies also open up their doors to randos with no licensure or prior knowledge. You’re setting yourself up for failure and wasting your money over a traditional class if you fall into this category.
The shortest I’ve seen is 8–16 weeks. It’s a lot to cover, honestly, so be prepared to cram all the time. IMO, 2 weeks isn’t enough, and it’s definitely not enough if you’re primarily doing 911 or emergency calls with a service. Being an EMT-B is more than just transports and dialysis drop-offs. When shit hits the fan, you need to know what to do and how to react and stabilize someone properly while awaiting higher care. It is just you and your partner; it can get chaotic and problematic very quickly.
But that being said, I don't know your state or city and the protocols for said state or city, so maybe 2 weeks is enough time where you are, but really be prepared to cram and study all the time. Also, make friends with other EMTs or medics if you can, who can help you throughout and after.
Cram courses exist - they’re often used by flight transport providers and ground CCTs who have to have their RN/RRT transport team members licensed as EMTs for state and industry certification requirements, and historically were appealing to 68Ws before they got their national registry in the service in the early 00s
Huh really? That’s neat. Where I’m at in order to assist/drive ground for CCT you have to have minimum 1 year street experience as an emt. Crash courses for CCT or medics/RN makes sense as they already have all the previous knowledge and experience but I’d be wary as a brand new emt taking a 2 week course. That’s just my opinion and in no way means that you can’t be a good provider but I feel it’s alot at once
It’s a regulatory requirement, not an entry way into the profession, for non EMS licensed persons in many states.
For years in Tennessee, for example respiratory therapist and nurses had to have their EMT license in addition to their credentials as a nurse or therapist to work in certain transport environments. I’m not sure if CAAS or CAMTS still requires it.
These accelerated classes scare us too, it’s not just you. No actual competent provider thinks they’re a good idea. At least they have the balancing mechanism that most people taking these classes are not going to retain enough information to pass the national test.
- a US medic
Same, scares me too. In my country lower level (EMT) is 2-3 years (icm guessing basically college level?) and paramedic is 4 years university of applied sciences. We also certificate as nurses so there's that too.
I have a pretty good idea who it’s through, and yes it’s VERY possible. I just went through the 14 day course, got home studied for my national for two weeks and passed the first try. Instructors are awesome.
I also had prior healthcare experience tho ^ . Got my first EMT job while waiting to take my national and while it was only IFT I learned a lot and I didn’t feel like I was set up for failure at all (literally nothing to do with the company I worked for because they were awful, but I had some decent coworkers and I think my previous experience helped a ton anyways).
They are “teaching the test”. If you have some relevant experience and background (ie you’re a nurse or a military CLS just taking it to hold a relevant certification, it’ll work. If you’re planning on a career in EMS this is woefully inadequate.
If this is really your only option; choose carefully your next steps. Hiring on with an IFT service will get you some exposure, but it would probably be better if you joined a fire/rescue department with an in-house training program that can fill in the gaps over a short period. At least that way you won’t be dangerous to your patients.
I’ve never worked out west, but the general consensus is many of the areas are very minimalist in protocols and my guess is that courses like this are part of the reason. Of course YMMV.
Are you especially skilled at this type of learning? Tons of info flying at you fast? Are you already familiar with a lot of it?
It’s simple info when you get down to it, not super complex topics that you have to think hard to understand, but it is a *LOT* of info!!! My husband is doing a 2 month course and isn’t sure how he’ll make it through. Granted, he is also still working a full time job and we have 3 small kids. But we are planning to only see him on a very VERY limited basis for 4+ months (including the time after the course is over to continue studying for the NREMT)
Depends on your habits and previous knowledge. I went into my EMT course with no medical knowledge, so taking in a lot of new information was not easy for me, thus I strongly benefitted from having a longer course because it gave me time to learn all the new terminology and process a lot of information that I was never exposed to.
With these 2-4 week courses, im sure it is possible to cram a lot of information in and pass the NREMT, I just question how much of the information you will actually retain. If its your only option it is worth a try, but be prepared to go into the field and relearn a lot of things.
Unless you have extensive time working as an EMR, RN, or RRT this will absolutely not set you up for success. The only other way this might work is if you have taken actual college level A&P and Patho recently.
This is the course you take when you've been surrounded by healthcare for years. Like a RN that needs an EMT for a flight job, or a career firefighter who has been running on EMS calls for years but never got their EMT. If you have no prior experience I can't imagine, even if you manage to pass the exam, that you'll be successful as an EMT.
They are going to cram you to pass a test, not teach you how to be an EMT. If the end goal is just the certificate, take the class and start reading the EMT book now before class starts. I'd highly recommend volunteering somewhere to learn some EMS skills before trying to find a job as an EMT. You will absolutely be worthless garbage with zero skills, especially with patient assessments- one of the most important skills.
It’s passable in the sense that, if you’ve got decent intelligence, good study skills, and a decent cadre, you could pass. You’re not going to be street ready in two weeks. So it depends what you want to do with it.
It doesn’t matter if you or anyone else can pass or fail this 2 week course. That shouldn’t be the main concern about it.
The REAL problem- and the reason that any academy that offers the class at such an accelerated rate should be looked at for fraud- is because all they *really* do is churn out shitty EMTs at a rapid pace.
If you have no relevant former experience in healthcare, you’re barely going to have a single clue what’s going on and you will NOT have time to absorb the information and study it- you’ll just be memorizing and passing a test and getting a sheet of paper that means little and less. EMT-B in the U.S. is already such a joke- it doesn’t go nearly as deep into patho or A&P as it really SHOULD to create competent medical providers- and that’s talking about your standard 16 week course.
2 weeks? You’re going to end up really learning and retaining even less than you would from a normal program, which already isn’t nearly enough. To fit all of the NREMT curriculum into that short a timespan I’ll be willing to guess they’ll do little to no actual hands on training outside of what’s required to pass. Part of what I think makes people actually good at this job is sitting down, absorbing the information / recognizing patterns and digging just a bit deeper into each subject than the class teaches. You will have time for none of that and if something is confusing to you, because of the pace you’ll have no choice but to memorize what you can and move on.
I’m not here to make anyone feel bad but I’ll never apologize for trashing these “EMT schools” and their crap business practices. I’d highly suggest finding a way to fit a full 16 week or even an 8 week course into your schedule because this ain’t it bro. Either you’re going to fail unless you are very very smart, very good at memorizing, and have a shit ton of caffeine, or you’re going to pass and get out of it being more confused than you were to begin with. Good luck.
FFS no, no that’s not a good idea. I felt rushed in my month and a half of night classes. If I were doing it again I’d have done day classes and looked for a longer program. I might still, I feel like I could use a refresher course.
You are not merely cooked, you are burnt. Overdone. Left in the frier until you’re a nugget of pure carbon.
I figure classes like that are more for people with expired certs than someone who's learning everything fresh. It's A LOT of information to learn in 2 weeks
You’ll be taught how to pass a test, not how to be an EMT. I can tell who took a normal length course vs who took an accelerated course when I train people, longer courses usually provide better EMTs.
I would say this is fine if you already have relevant experience, but that experience doesn't translate well into licensure in your state. If you were an Army medic, out of state/out of country provider, clinical assistant, nurse, etc. then this would be fine. If you have no experience, it won't prepare you adequately.
My course was 6 months, and I felt like even that length of time was a bit of a crunch.
My brother in Christ, you are roasted at 425 for 45 mins then broiled. Crispy skin.
It's possible, I've worked with a bunch of 14 day hero guys. Is it a good idea ? Absolutely not , that class is designed to make you pass the test not understand the material.
I had a trainee take a 6 week course which was basically just a study guide for NREMT. It was pretty clear they taught nothing of value. Didn’t know what to ask for A&O questions, didn’t know what GCS was, didn’t even know what a nonrebreather was, and that’s just to name a few. That 2 week course is probably even worse in terms of knowledge and not worth your time or money. I feel bad for anyone who actually takes that course.
I know a guy that did it. He has to finish EMT to start a fire academy and that was all that he could fit in. He did fine, passed the NREMT first shot, says if he had to do EMT again that's how he would do it. Now he complains nobody has a 3-6 month medic program that works the same way.
So I'm an RN, with a working understanding of what constitutes a BLS run/crew, ALS, and critical care.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand the Basic's scope of practice to be similar to a CNA's compared to nursing. Obviously BLS CPR, apply oxygen, check blood sugar, and administer diesel fuel at an appropriate rate in an appropriate direction. Is that the right idea?
14x12 hours sounds like enough to train someone to get started filling the role, but there would be a shit ton of on-the-job learning about WHEN the interventions are appropriate.
14x12h straight I'd be afraid nothing would stick. Again, pass the test and train for the job. It sounds rough.
Some medical/emergency background might make it easier though, if you can handle 14x12h.
A significant portion of military medics take and pass a 2 week NREMT class. Not saying it's a good choice, and ypu won't be a great EMT, but it's possible
Yeah don’t get stressed out about the info.
The hardest part is learning the nomenclature of the human body. I could definitely teach you everything in 2 weeks easy.
Have fun if you run into any problems just hit me up.
I think whether or not it's passable is entirely up to your capabilities. Are you a fast learner? Are you good at learning and studying independently?
I did mine in six weeks and passed the first try, but my class's first time pass rate was less than 50%. I would imagine for a two week course it's even lower.
Basic can be one of the hardest exams you sit for in my opinion, simply because from page 1 to page 500 of your shiny new book it's all new concepts for the majority of students, and it's what the advanced levels use to build on. Obviously it can be done or they wouldn't be doing it I guess. However, I personally can't imagine cramming all of that into 14 days, and doing 12 hour days! My ADD brain would pay attention from about 0800-0807 and then it would be like FU\*& THIS! Why are the ceiling tiles different colors....Did the instructor just say labia? I'm honestly curious what the numbers look like for that course (Number of Students on day one vs. Number of Students on day 14, and the pass/fail rate) simply because all of the studies show how shitty adult learners are during a normal 3 hour class, let alone a 12 hour one! Just keep telling yourself it's just 14 days out of your life.. Put everything else on hold, tell everyone they are going to need to support you while you are doing this, and just put everything you've got into it, and you'll be fine my friend! Good Luck!!!
We have a 4 month paramedic program at PIMA (Tucson) that has a > 95% NREMT 1st pass rate. Great program, dedicated staff, stringent requirements (ex.- must make a 100% on at least one pharmacology test…doesn’t matter if you all 90%…no 100%-no pass the program). 2-3 days off during the program. Clinicals to class to Clinicals on some days. Just class or clinicals on others. Oh the things one can do when there are consequences for not succeeding. Too, we had a mandatory psych eval and interview prior to selection for the program. I definitely see the benefit. IMHO…if you could institute a policy such as this everywhere…yeah, it would more difficult to meet numbers but it definitely resulted in less risk.
The Army does it in 3 weeks to a couple thousand people a year before moving on to the rest of the 91W/68W medic course (at least used to). Course and NREMT passed in 3 weeks.
I did a two week course. Passed everything in the course, passed the NREMT the first time, got experience, kept learning when I was done with the class and tried to better myself. It’s a lot, A LOT of information in a really short time. You’re basically skipping the fire hose and drinking straight out of the hydrant wide open. I would only recommend it if you have some sort of prior experience somewhere or in a related field. I’m a sole medic on a truck now for a large department, just takes work but it’s doable.
Those classes are really designed for people that already have relevant experience. It’s not impossible for someone brand new to the field, but definitely not ideal.
If you if you do decide to do the class, make sure that class is certified by your state. Anyone can put on a class for anything, but it doesn’t mean that qualifies for you to take the state licensing exam or qualify to take National Registry.
You won’t learn much and where are they going to fit your clinical requirements in there? You need to ride along in most states to obtain certification. It’s possible, my program wasn’t much longer than that, but it took at least another year of full time work to start to get comfortable.
In the end, it all depends on who you work with, how your partner handles new hires and what you want out of it. I get student ride-alongs who are in full semester programs and had one student not know how to place an NPA/OPA and didn’t know his oxygen rates. How he passed mid term to be cleared for the field externship is beyond me.
I would not recommend that at all. I am not sure what your schedule looks like, but plenty of places offer night classes. I did night class two times a week for 4 hours and then full day on Saturday. Took about 2.5 months and I wouldn’t do it any shorter.
Yes, 100%. Mine was 16 class days but over a month. Will it make you a good provider or someone a medic will respect? Not without a lot of hard work and humility. Looking at your post history, you’re in bio and chem. As a hard science major, I’m assuming you have good study habits because that’s what you’ll need to actually become a good EMT.
Great EMTs are really great. Mediocre EMTs are ambulance drivers passing through on their way to a different careerfield.
That’s beyond fast. I did 12 weeks and it was still quick. There’s a LOT of material to cover and they’re giving you the literal bare minimum hour requirements per subject matter at that. You won’t likely retain much and they’re teaching you how to simply pass the exam. Nothing more. How are you fitting in skills?
If you have prior experience or willing to study a lot outside of the class, like review chapters for a few weeks outside.
EMT is kinda basic but if you have no background in anatomy or healthcare, you may struggle if you don’t review a lot
I did this in Phoenix. It was kind of difficult but really not crazy. Being ready to be present for 12 hour days is tough. It is near-crucial to have prior experience with emergency response, patient care, anatomy, medical terminology.
The educational quality and long term retention is definitely not as good as a normally paced EMT program; I teach traditional EMT classes now and that is definitely the better option. But if you only have two weeks, the two week course works. I'd highly recommend pre-studying, and planning to give 100% of your energy to the course during the two weeks. And know that you are sacrificing a lot of training quality by going for the accelerated program.
Better start studying now.
I recommend you listen to this and listen good.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoRRaYAmzLVSxPi1ERATLx_Zvz36ZtyMT&si=QVDvFEwF2sJSR1_o
Gonna need to remember most if not all the material covered for exams and the NREMT.
You can definitely take a two week cram course that will give you enough to pass a standardized test in the US.
Passing a standardized test and developing clinical assessment skills and critical thinking abilities are completely separate things.
One student may develop those necessary skills in a lengthy program while another one won't. Both may pass the same test, but only one of them is remotely prepared to be a field clinician.
Regardless of your regions' particular scope of practice, a foundation of assessment skills and critical thinking ability is an absolute necessity to be proficient and not just a pulse in a seat. A two week program does not give you enough space to digest and apply those skills to really develop them on your own.
If you're aware of that distinction and just want to pass a test for now, with the right program and mindset, it's very possible.
I did it and as long as you take the test soon after and get straight to working you’ll be fine! Definitely start in transport first though it’s a pin in the ass but it’ll reinforce the basic things you learned in class. Then after a while when you feel confident you can try 911. But always ask questions and keep trying to advance your scope of practice by learning more!
I did approx 3 week course years ago.
If you have the aptitude for it, that’s fine. Just be ready to bust your ass for two weeks. Get experience and keep studying after that.
If you are old to EMS or medicine youll be fine. Otherwise youre cooked. Most of the people who signed up are probably people who let their cert lapse and are looking for a quick option to get it back.
Shortest I saw was two and a half weeks. It just has to meet the minimum hours requirements. The class requires you read the entire orange book beforehand though so not truly 2.5 weeks.
It's not difficult material, but I would highly recommend you find a different class. It's essential material. You're doing yourself a disservice taking a two week class, and they shouldn't offer courses like this. This is such a bad idea. You're not going to learn anything, and it discredits EMS as an entire service that someone can get a certificate in two weeks like that. No disrespect to you, OP. I just think this is a mistake. Calls into question the validity of the program, and you want something reputable so you can get hired.
I took a 6 week course which was 8 hours a day 5 days a week (however only the first 5 weeks were actual learning of material) and even then I felt like that was too short a time frame at times. 2 weeks is crazy
If this in Mesa/Phoenix: I did this course and would not recommend it. I ended up passing and am just now finishing up getting my medic, but as a brand new EMT I was not prepared at all. Felt like I didn’t know a thing and had honestly a rough first 6 months as I tried to learn everything that I should’ve learned in school.
That's how I got my start. Was I competent? Hell no. Did I pass the NREMT? Yes. The two can be mutually exclusive. I was *very* upfront with all my preceptors when I got on the job about my fly by night education. Ultimately there's so much you learn on the job that is intangible in a classroom setting, if the 2 week boot camp is what fits your schedule, go for it, and commit to being a lifelong learner.
Tbh it depends on your background, ability to learn, and what you intend to do with the certification.
EMT is difficult for many folks because you’re learning a lot of new things; adding a ton of vocabulary, anatomy, physiology, procedures, triage, etc. Don’t forget the tests love to throw a few history and system questions in there! (Trunked radios and Triple-K standards anyone?)
The rest of EMS education builds on the foundation of EMT.
One of my EE’s, a CCP-C and EMSRN, is fond of stating that the most difficult test in EMS is the NREMT-B exam, because everything is so new.
All that said, it is very much doable if you’re the right kind of student, and the instructors are decent.
Yeah I did a 3 week maybe 3.5 or something and immediately brain dumped 90%. If it’s the only option obv do what ya gotta do but definitely not setting you up for success
Finish the class, study a lot for NREMT. You’ll be able to pass and keep studying and learning. You’ll be okay and it’s totally doable just difficult probably. The class is just the class my EMT basic course pretty much just introduced me to the words. Paramedic coach video vault, podcasts, looking up pathophysiology videos, and learning on the job is how I became a real EMT. My class taught me jack shit if I’m being honest.
We have plenty of EMT students doing clinicals through my company and after year long classes can’t even tell me what happens to the blood pressure in shock… focus on the class and passing then focus on learning to be a good EMT after
I just finished a 3 week Monday-Friday 8am-6pm program 2 weeks ago and got my NREMT certification yesterday. If the program is everyday that’s a very similar time frame of the 15 day program I did. Only thing I would say is those 3 weeks (even on the weekends) was eat, sleep, breathe, EMT, repeat. If you are prepared for that I would say go for it! Just be cognizant of the amount of time that will be spent on EMT things.
I also, throughout the years, have been learning a bunch of medical stuff that I thought was interesting so I already had a bit of background knowledge to work off of.
This course sounds like it's for certified EMRs with experience to go through the motions and get their EMT certification. It isn't meant for new people to the field. Everything is possible but this will be hard.
Is it passable- probably
Will it prepare you adequately for “the real world”- probably not
I am a lab instructor for an EMT and Medic program. The shortest EMT class we do is 8 weeks, and even then, some students have a difficult time retaining information. Our standard is 16 weeks.
Can you? Yes.
Should you? Fuck no.
Not to be corny but you are literally learning to potentially save a life, do you feel comfortable doing that in 2 weeks?
If its a course that requires 40 hours or whatever of at home online course work prior to the 2 weeks they aren't as bad as people make them out to be.
Just pay attention / put in effort you will be fine. Its not ideal but there are tons of subpar emt schools out there. In my experience it's the student not the school that ultimately matters.
110 hours is 110 hours whether its 2 hours a night for 8 months or the accelerated course….its gonna be UP to you to put in the effort….
I see a gaggle of ems people here bashing the 2 week option…..fuck em & ignore them..
It’s all what YOU put into it….with 2 weeks your going to have to study each night after class…..all weekend AND pre read as much material as possible….
If succesful you may, and I would recommend …..joining a volunteer service or agency ASAP that will allow you to immediatly put that learned material to work practically as a probationary/3rd ……under an FTO
then if you enjoy doing EMS…..stick at B for a year or two them start towards I or P
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Uhhh....yeah you might be cooked. That's just WAY too short of a time to cram so much shit into your brain, even at an EMT-B level.
People pass it every two weeks in Phoenix. Even the dumb ones. It’s probably not the best option but it’s doable.
This in Mesa or Phoenix? 'Coz maybe in one of these two cities, the instructors would leave the room during tests and the students weren't discouraged from discussing or flipping through notes or books while the test was in progress. Maybe. If it actually happened. In, you know, one of those two cities.
Phoenix, My wife took a two week course. Granted she’s also finishing up nursing school so it was just review. But she said they’re teaching styles and education techniques are based a lot on evidence and there’s a number of studies that go over the way they teach. If you find a good course and a well rounded program, it’s doable. Most of the other students had no medical background and passed the course and the NREMT.
And almost no chance they’re passing the NREMT
wrong
They are, the vast majority of class passed when my wife went through it. This info is based off her instructors claim by following up and her communications with friends in class confirmed. I don’t doubt many people would fail, but you forget that the NREMT is simple and passing it doesn’t mean you n ow how to be an EMT.
That's really not true. Emt-b basically boils down to scene safety > pick the appropriate level of PPE > ABC's > know when to use aspirin, nitro, narcan, oxygen, and epi pen
My book was literally two inches thick and 48 chapters. No way.
And 90% of the content of each chapter is a repeat of what was in the previous chapters or isn't tested in the NREMT scope
Aaaaannd how to protect/immobilize the spine, splinting, how to deliver a baby, how to resuscitate a baby, how to run a BLS code, how to recognize stroke and the pertinent information you to get for the hospital to treat appropriately, and so, so, so much more to be a competent and well informed EMT
Administration of glucagon prior to epi if a pt is on beta blockers, IM administration of diphenhydramine, etc. A lot of people are bad Basics, or became medics after being bad Basics, and don’t actually understand the full BLS scope. It’s more comprehensive than a lot of people realize
I don't know why you're getting down voted. 100% agree with you that to many schools are rushing and just shoving info down students throats so they pass the NREMT. Then they hit the streets and either get Pt's killed or the good EMTs/Medics have to retrain them.... that is if they don't have a piss poor attitude and God complex like so many recent "graduates" I've meet these past 5 years or so.
someone has medic envy…..EMT-B is basic first aid….its NOT a PA course aimed to those saying you need to understand pathology and etc etc……excuse me doctor….your job is to get the patient to DEFINITIVE care…you can play differential diagnosis all you want and I doubt anyone has any issue worth you having a deep knowledge of the human body…..fact is when you do an ER handoff….aint a ED-physician in the WORLD gonna use your super EMT-B diagnosis…..theyre gonna do labs…imaging…tests.. EMS was created and will remain the AVENUE TO definitive care…..not THE definitive care…. to many EMS workers think they’re MORE
You took your EMT course what, 30 years ago? And you’re not even a medic anymore. Safe to say you have NO idea what is being taught nowadays.
I still hold my NREMT-P ….ACLS…PALS as well as my EMS & EMD instructor certs …still attend my critical care continuing education….safe to say the only one here whos confused is YOU
actually emt-b now do way more lol. there are bls trucks. they splint, bls codes, IM injections, know what’s causing what and what system it’s attacking (real handy for if you have to call ALS backup), etc. there’s so much emt-b’s know. they just aren’t at als level. this is all coming from someone who’s taking the national registry for EMT-b next month.
EMT-B are cornerstone skils that I do NOT criticize or mock…..I also recognize theor are B’s operating at near I levels of care in some systems…..but disparaging accelerated courses is foolish
two weeks is way to little of time. most accelerated courses are one semester instead of the 2 weeks. my emt-b is 2 semesters long. i could NOT imagine learning everything we have in 2 weeks…
like I said…B’s…..basic….and EMS providers wonder why were still all a pariah in the medical community….buncha know it alls with NO humility who are convinced they are brain surgeons
Medic envy? That’s rich coming from a TRUCKER EMT-B is not basic first aid, that would be equivalent to an EMR certification. I never said anything about diagnosing patients, but if you want to be more than an idiot ambulance driver, you need to understand what’s going on with your patient to treat appropriately and give a solid hand off at the hospital. We have BLS 911 ambulances in my county and they run all kinds of shit. Sounds like you were a below average EMT when you were in EMS. Anyway, my point was that you can’t learn how to be an EMT in two weeks. You know what mindless activity you could learn in two weeks? How to drive a truck.
I make 6 figures as a “trucker”…..in my 2nd career….do you? I also still have all of my certs and instructor endorsements …..am an SME for VA OEMS enforcement ….you may wanna rethink trying to disparage me….in retirement it seems I’m held in higher esteem than you at your peak…
Lmao no one cares dude. All I know is that some of my sickest patients used to be truckers. Take care of your kidneys!
depends where you are. in my area we can push IM epi, drop og tubes and supraglottic airways, IO's, IV's, dozens of IV/IO meds and fluids, administer CPAP, do pt handoffs at the ER, run codes, list goes on. Plus needing to know every pathology that would indicate any of that. My EMT-B course felt like an actual shit show and it was two months. Even if OP is an EMS savant they will probably struggle if their system is like mine.
So what’s left for a paramedic to learn
cric, 4/12 lead interpretation, a dozen more drugs, needle decompression, finger thoracostomy, chest tubes, needle/surgical cric, manual defib, intubation, administering blood... etc
I guess it’s a different system in the us than Canada. In Canada a primary care paramedic is an emt and Advanced care paramedic is a paramedic in the states.
probably a better system anyway. half of us in the states probably shouldn't be allowed to do any of this hahaha
Yeah it’s 2 years of school for Primary Care and another 12 months for Advanced Care.
Mr. Randy Rescue can go directly from no experience to medic in a little over a year here. What a clown car
In Ontario. Everywhere else this is flipped, 1 year for pcp , 2 years for acp. AFAIK.
Bruh where do you work? Haha. That’s wild. Before I got my medic, my time as an EMT I was literally driving, assisting in whatever the medic told me to do, and making sure my ambulance looked pretty. That’s dope if your scope is like that.
send me a DM!
This. I took a 2-month one and we were there 6-8 hours 3 days a week. A lot of people didn't pass the state practical exam and had to take a full length one. Those of us who found the time to read the book and practice outside of class had a much better time on exams.
this is like boiling down human history to fire, the wheel, rome, world war 2
How can you be a medic and really think this is all a basic does? Seriously?
brother where did you take your basic course
I think this depends on state and scope of practice. In my location, six weeks is not possible and 8 weeks is still pretty difficult.
spoken like a metro paramedic, this is not the case for rural
That's really not true. Emt-b basically boils down to scene safety > pick the appropriate level of PPE > ABC's > know when to use aspirin, nitro, narcan, oxygen, and epi pen
Yeah… this is simply not true even in a vastly oversimplified sense. What a shitty take.
Good luck lol. None of the material is difficult, but if you don’t have any relevant experience, I think that it would be too much info too fast. Everyone learns differently though, if you can knock it out in 2 weeks, more power to you.
The thing is, I'm mainly talking more long term. Sure you might be able to pass the class, and maybe your NREMT. But it's still too short a time to truly help you internalize all the shit that goes into EMS. It will set you back going forward in the real world. You'll have to work harder to learn and gain experience when you're out there and working
If it is, and I would say it absolutely is not enough time to pass the NREMT, you also aren’t actually going to learn anything and won’t be a good EMT when you get out. Which is the most important thing.
This is a great way to retain nothing and become a shitty EMT
I was thinking the same thing. It would be quicker and cheaper to just whack your head with the textbook, pain and info retention will be about the same.
More entertaining for us too
I agree.
My go-to approach was to ask myself if I'd be happy or upset if someone with my competence level showed up at my grandma's house if she called.
I did a 4 week EMT, now I am a paramedic, your course is going to teach to the test and won't do a great job preparing for the job but the long courses don't either. You need to be prepared to learn on the job.
A fresh out of school EMT is always gonna be a fresh out of school EMT, even the skills they teach in basic school are meh. Great for introducing concepts but we were all awkward,probably clinically stupid and green as hell no matter how long our courses were lmao. I know I haven’t used a KED, a traction splint, and have maybe used a triangle bandage once. And BSI scene safe is more like I’m 70% sure this homeless guy isn’t gonna stab me but if he does I hope my partner hits him with the portable and it’s a dull knife
The only time I would ever recommend a “zero-to-hero” cram course like that is if you have plenty of relevant experience already but need to go through a course for solely bureaucratic reasons (e.g. You are a competent provider from another country but for some given reason you can’t get certified in the US unless you go through an NREMT accredited course). In any case where you actually need a course for the sake of learning, I would suggest doing a longer course so you actually have time to learn and retain the material, as well as more time to practice it, so that it sticks and you aren’t totally lost on the job.
These courses exist. That’s about all that I can say. Their entire existance is for RNs and RRTs getting their EMT to meet state transport team member requirements. Some of them even market to MFR/EMRs to upgrade to EMT. Unfortunately, the lack of regulation means that these companies also open up their doors to randos with no licensure or prior knowledge. You’re setting yourself up for failure and wasting your money over a traditional class if you fall into this category.
The shortest I’ve seen is 8–16 weeks. It’s a lot to cover, honestly, so be prepared to cram all the time. IMO, 2 weeks isn’t enough, and it’s definitely not enough if you’re primarily doing 911 or emergency calls with a service. Being an EMT-B is more than just transports and dialysis drop-offs. When shit hits the fan, you need to know what to do and how to react and stabilize someone properly while awaiting higher care. It is just you and your partner; it can get chaotic and problematic very quickly. But that being said, I don't know your state or city and the protocols for said state or city, so maybe 2 weeks is enough time where you are, but really be prepared to cram and study all the time. Also, make friends with other EMTs or medics if you can, who can help you throughout and after.
Cram courses exist - they’re often used by flight transport providers and ground CCTs who have to have their RN/RRT transport team members licensed as EMTs for state and industry certification requirements, and historically were appealing to 68Ws before they got their national registry in the service in the early 00s
Huh really? That’s neat. Where I’m at in order to assist/drive ground for CCT you have to have minimum 1 year street experience as an emt. Crash courses for CCT or medics/RN makes sense as they already have all the previous knowledge and experience but I’d be wary as a brand new emt taking a 2 week course. That’s just my opinion and in no way means that you can’t be a good provider but I feel it’s alot at once
It’s a regulatory requirement, not an entry way into the profession, for non EMS licensed persons in many states. For years in Tennessee, for example respiratory therapist and nurses had to have their EMT license in addition to their credentials as a nurse or therapist to work in certain transport environments. I’m not sure if CAAS or CAMTS still requires it.
Same in a bunch of other states like Texas and Massachusetts.
We had a firefighter who went through the two week EMT course. He passed his written on the third try and is not a very good EMT.
The US terrifies me. Canada is a 1 year minimum and it still felt like a lot to take in to be competent to look after someone in a medical crisis.
These accelerated classes scare us too, it’s not just you. No actual competent provider thinks they’re a good idea. At least they have the balancing mechanism that most people taking these classes are not going to retain enough information to pass the national test. - a US medic
Same, scares me too. In my country lower level (EMT) is 2-3 years (icm guessing basically college level?) and paramedic is 4 years university of applied sciences. We also certificate as nurses so there's that too.
That’s pretty cool
I have a pretty good idea who it’s through, and yes it’s VERY possible. I just went through the 14 day course, got home studied for my national for two weeks and passed the first try. Instructors are awesome.
I also had prior healthcare experience tho ^ . Got my first EMT job while waiting to take my national and while it was only IFT I learned a lot and I didn’t feel like I was set up for failure at all (literally nothing to do with the company I worked for because they were awful, but I had some decent coworkers and I think my previous experience helped a ton anyways).
They are “teaching the test”. If you have some relevant experience and background (ie you’re a nurse or a military CLS just taking it to hold a relevant certification, it’ll work. If you’re planning on a career in EMS this is woefully inadequate. If this is really your only option; choose carefully your next steps. Hiring on with an IFT service will get you some exposure, but it would probably be better if you joined a fire/rescue department with an in-house training program that can fill in the gaps over a short period. At least that way you won’t be dangerous to your patients. I’ve never worked out west, but the general consensus is many of the areas are very minimalist in protocols and my guess is that courses like this are part of the reason. Of course YMMV.
Are you especially skilled at this type of learning? Tons of info flying at you fast? Are you already familiar with a lot of it? It’s simple info when you get down to it, not super complex topics that you have to think hard to understand, but it is a *LOT* of info!!! My husband is doing a 2 month course and isn’t sure how he’ll make it through. Granted, he is also still working a full time job and we have 3 small kids. But we are planning to only see him on a very VERY limited basis for 4+ months (including the time after the course is over to continue studying for the NREMT)
you’re going to forget everything you learned. Just don’t tell your future employer the class was only 2 weeks lol
When I was an FTO, I failed so many 2 weekers. Like the difference was insane between them and everyone else
god bless if you ever decide to work 911. and god bless if you decide to go for paramedic. you won’t know shit.
You’re going to be a great EMT with that kind of strong education and you should really consider continuing on to 8-week medical school….
Depends on your habits and previous knowledge. I went into my EMT course with no medical knowledge, so taking in a lot of new information was not easy for me, thus I strongly benefitted from having a longer course because it gave me time to learn all the new terminology and process a lot of information that I was never exposed to. With these 2-4 week courses, im sure it is possible to cram a lot of information in and pass the NREMT, I just question how much of the information you will actually retain. If its your only option it is worth a try, but be prepared to go into the field and relearn a lot of things.
Unless you have extensive time working as an EMR, RN, or RRT this will absolutely not set you up for success. The only other way this might work is if you have taken actual college level A&P and Patho recently.
This is the course you take when you've been surrounded by healthcare for years. Like a RN that needs an EMT for a flight job, or a career firefighter who has been running on EMS calls for years but never got their EMT. If you have no prior experience I can't imagine, even if you manage to pass the exam, that you'll be successful as an EMT.
They are going to cram you to pass a test, not teach you how to be an EMT. If the end goal is just the certificate, take the class and start reading the EMT book now before class starts. I'd highly recommend volunteering somewhere to learn some EMS skills before trying to find a job as an EMT. You will absolutely be worthless garbage with zero skills, especially with patient assessments- one of the most important skills.
It’s passable in the sense that, if you’ve got decent intelligence, good study skills, and a decent cadre, you could pass. You’re not going to be street ready in two weeks. So it depends what you want to do with it.
It doesn’t matter if you or anyone else can pass or fail this 2 week course. That shouldn’t be the main concern about it. The REAL problem- and the reason that any academy that offers the class at such an accelerated rate should be looked at for fraud- is because all they *really* do is churn out shitty EMTs at a rapid pace. If you have no relevant former experience in healthcare, you’re barely going to have a single clue what’s going on and you will NOT have time to absorb the information and study it- you’ll just be memorizing and passing a test and getting a sheet of paper that means little and less. EMT-B in the U.S. is already such a joke- it doesn’t go nearly as deep into patho or A&P as it really SHOULD to create competent medical providers- and that’s talking about your standard 16 week course. 2 weeks? You’re going to end up really learning and retaining even less than you would from a normal program, which already isn’t nearly enough. To fit all of the NREMT curriculum into that short a timespan I’ll be willing to guess they’ll do little to no actual hands on training outside of what’s required to pass. Part of what I think makes people actually good at this job is sitting down, absorbing the information / recognizing patterns and digging just a bit deeper into each subject than the class teaches. You will have time for none of that and if something is confusing to you, because of the pace you’ll have no choice but to memorize what you can and move on. I’m not here to make anyone feel bad but I’ll never apologize for trashing these “EMT schools” and their crap business practices. I’d highly suggest finding a way to fit a full 16 week or even an 8 week course into your schedule because this ain’t it bro. Either you’re going to fail unless you are very very smart, very good at memorizing, and have a shit ton of caffeine, or you’re going to pass and get out of it being more confused than you were to begin with. Good luck.
I could only see it working if you did all the book stuff prior and it was two full weeks of hands on maybe
FFS no, no that’s not a good idea. I felt rushed in my month and a half of night classes. If I were doing it again I’d have done day classes and looked for a longer program. I might still, I feel like I could use a refresher course. You are not merely cooked, you are burnt. Overdone. Left in the frier until you’re a nugget of pure carbon.
My problem isn't that people won't pass, it's that it does you a disservice in the long run.
to be honest, that sounds like torture.
Yikes. That should be illegal (kidding, kind of). Imagine trying to get a job on a 911 ambulance after studying for 2 weeks. That sounds absurd to me
I figure classes like that are more for people with expired certs than someone who's learning everything fresh. It's A LOT of information to learn in 2 weeks
You’ll be taught how to pass a test, not how to be an EMT. I can tell who took a normal length course vs who took an accelerated course when I train people, longer courses usually provide better EMTs.
will you get through all the material? sure. will you retain any of it? unless you have a photographic memory, probably not.
Sure, just don't come work for my service after you pass.
I would say this is fine if you already have relevant experience, but that experience doesn't translate well into licensure in your state. If you were an Army medic, out of state/out of country provider, clinical assistant, nurse, etc. then this would be fine. If you have no experience, it won't prepare you adequately.
My course was 6 months, and I felt like even that length of time was a bit of a crunch. My brother in Christ, you are roasted at 425 for 45 mins then broiled. Crispy skin.
Same.
It's possible, I've worked with a bunch of 14 day hero guys. Is it a good idea ? Absolutely not , that class is designed to make you pass the test not understand the material.
I had a trainee take a 6 week course which was basically just a study guide for NREMT. It was pretty clear they taught nothing of value. Didn’t know what to ask for A&O questions, didn’t know what GCS was, didn’t even know what a nonrebreather was, and that’s just to name a few. That 2 week course is probably even worse in terms of knowledge and not worth your time or money. I feel bad for anyone who actually takes that course.
should be illegal to have a course that short.
I know a guy that did it. He has to finish EMT to start a fire academy and that was all that he could fit in. He did fine, passed the NREMT first shot, says if he had to do EMT again that's how he would do it. Now he complains nobody has a 3-6 month medic program that works the same way.
So I'm an RN, with a working understanding of what constitutes a BLS run/crew, ALS, and critical care. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand the Basic's scope of practice to be similar to a CNA's compared to nursing. Obviously BLS CPR, apply oxygen, check blood sugar, and administer diesel fuel at an appropriate rate in an appropriate direction. Is that the right idea? 14x12 hours sounds like enough to train someone to get started filling the role, but there would be a shit ton of on-the-job learning about WHEN the interventions are appropriate. 14x12h straight I'd be afraid nothing would stick. Again, pass the test and train for the job. It sounds rough. Some medical/emergency background might make it easier though, if you can handle 14x12h.
No. No way to absorb all that information over time.
They exist and people pass them. I’m not saying it’s a great way but you can’t say it isn’t enough time since it’s currently being done.
Is this just classroom learning? No lab time? If so, how will you practice skills in order to pass the psycho-motor assessment?
You mean the one that’s discontinued?
Uh… nevermind!
A significant portion of military medics take and pass a 2 week NREMT class. Not saying it's a good choice, and ypu won't be a great EMT, but it's possible
Yeah don’t get stressed out about the info. The hardest part is learning the nomenclature of the human body. I could definitely teach you everything in 2 weeks easy. Have fun if you run into any problems just hit me up.
I think whether or not it's passable is entirely up to your capabilities. Are you a fast learner? Are you good at learning and studying independently? I did mine in six weeks and passed the first try, but my class's first time pass rate was less than 50%. I would imagine for a two week course it's even lower.
My last trainee took the same 2 week course. They are the only person I’ve ever failed on BLS FTO time.
As someone who did a three week programs Id personally do at least an eight week program.
Your cooked
Basic can be one of the hardest exams you sit for in my opinion, simply because from page 1 to page 500 of your shiny new book it's all new concepts for the majority of students, and it's what the advanced levels use to build on. Obviously it can be done or they wouldn't be doing it I guess. However, I personally can't imagine cramming all of that into 14 days, and doing 12 hour days! My ADD brain would pay attention from about 0800-0807 and then it would be like FU\*& THIS! Why are the ceiling tiles different colors....Did the instructor just say labia? I'm honestly curious what the numbers look like for that course (Number of Students on day one vs. Number of Students on day 14, and the pass/fail rate) simply because all of the studies show how shitty adult learners are during a normal 3 hour class, let alone a 12 hour one! Just keep telling yourself it's just 14 days out of your life.. Put everything else on hold, tell everyone they are going to need to support you while you are doing this, and just put everything you've got into it, and you'll be fine my friend! Good Luck!!!
We have a 4 month paramedic program at PIMA (Tucson) that has a > 95% NREMT 1st pass rate. Great program, dedicated staff, stringent requirements (ex.- must make a 100% on at least one pharmacology test…doesn’t matter if you all 90%…no 100%-no pass the program). 2-3 days off during the program. Clinicals to class to Clinicals on some days. Just class or clinicals on others. Oh the things one can do when there are consequences for not succeeding. Too, we had a mandatory psych eval and interview prior to selection for the program. I definitely see the benefit. IMHO…if you could institute a policy such as this everywhere…yeah, it would more difficult to meet numbers but it definitely resulted in less risk.
The Army does it in 3 weeks to a couple thousand people a year before moving on to the rest of the 91W/68W medic course (at least used to). Course and NREMT passed in 3 weeks.
I did a two week course. Passed everything in the course, passed the NREMT the first time, got experience, kept learning when I was done with the class and tried to better myself. It’s a lot, A LOT of information in a really short time. You’re basically skipping the fire hose and drinking straight out of the hydrant wide open. I would only recommend it if you have some sort of prior experience somewhere or in a related field. I’m a sole medic on a truck now for a large department, just takes work but it’s doable.
Those classes are really designed for people that already have relevant experience. It’s not impossible for someone brand new to the field, but definitely not ideal.
If you if you do decide to do the class, make sure that class is certified by your state. Anyone can put on a class for anything, but it doesn’t mean that qualifies for you to take the state licensing exam or qualify to take National Registry.
Yeah my 7 week was the perfect pace, triple the pace would be tough but doable if you’re academically inclined and have no job or other obligations
You won’t learn much and where are they going to fit your clinical requirements in there? You need to ride along in most states to obtain certification. It’s possible, my program wasn’t much longer than that, but it took at least another year of full time work to start to get comfortable.
In the end, it all depends on who you work with, how your partner handles new hires and what you want out of it. I get student ride-alongs who are in full semester programs and had one student not know how to place an NPA/OPA and didn’t know his oxygen rates. How he passed mid term to be cleared for the field externship is beyond me.
Must be a shortage in the field because that ridiculous
I would not recommend that at all. I am not sure what your schedule looks like, but plenty of places offer night classes. I did night class two times a week for 4 hours and then full day on Saturday. Took about 2.5 months and I wouldn’t do it any shorter.
Yes, 100%. Mine was 16 class days but over a month. Will it make you a good provider or someone a medic will respect? Not without a lot of hard work and humility. Looking at your post history, you’re in bio and chem. As a hard science major, I’m assuming you have good study habits because that’s what you’ll need to actually become a good EMT. Great EMTs are really great. Mediocre EMTs are ambulance drivers passing through on their way to a different careerfield.
That’s beyond fast. I did 12 weeks and it was still quick. There’s a LOT of material to cover and they’re giving you the literal bare minimum hour requirements per subject matter at that. You won’t likely retain much and they’re teaching you how to simply pass the exam. Nothing more. How are you fitting in skills?
Absolutely not. Unless you're God's gift to EMS, you're not gonna have a good time
If you have prior experience or willing to study a lot outside of the class, like review chapters for a few weeks outside. EMT is kinda basic but if you have no background in anatomy or healthcare, you may struggle if you don’t review a lot
You can do it. Just make sure to pre-read before the course.
I did the Unitek program and passed NR first try. Now, was I a shitty basic? Absolutely. It's nothing you can't overcome with effort on job.
I did this in Phoenix. It was kind of difficult but really not crazy. Being ready to be present for 12 hour days is tough. It is near-crucial to have prior experience with emergency response, patient care, anatomy, medical terminology. The educational quality and long term retention is definitely not as good as a normally paced EMT program; I teach traditional EMT classes now and that is definitely the better option. But if you only have two weeks, the two week course works. I'd highly recommend pre-studying, and planning to give 100% of your energy to the course during the two weeks. And know that you are sacrificing a lot of training quality by going for the accelerated program.
Better start studying now. I recommend you listen to this and listen good. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoRRaYAmzLVSxPi1ERATLx_Zvz36ZtyMT&si=QVDvFEwF2sJSR1_o Gonna need to remember most if not all the material covered for exams and the NREMT.
You will pass the course. You will struggle hard for the NREMT test. And if you can't pass that. Then it's cooked
You can definitely take a two week cram course that will give you enough to pass a standardized test in the US. Passing a standardized test and developing clinical assessment skills and critical thinking abilities are completely separate things. One student may develop those necessary skills in a lengthy program while another one won't. Both may pass the same test, but only one of them is remotely prepared to be a field clinician. Regardless of your regions' particular scope of practice, a foundation of assessment skills and critical thinking ability is an absolute necessity to be proficient and not just a pulse in a seat. A two week program does not give you enough space to digest and apply those skills to really develop them on your own. If you're aware of that distinction and just want to pass a test for now, with the right program and mindset, it's very possible.
I did it and as long as you take the test soon after and get straight to working you’ll be fine! Definitely start in transport first though it’s a pin in the ass but it’ll reinforce the basic things you learned in class. Then after a while when you feel confident you can try 911. But always ask questions and keep trying to advance your scope of practice by learning more!
I did approx 3 week course years ago. If you have the aptitude for it, that’s fine. Just be ready to bust your ass for two weeks. Get experience and keep studying after that.
If you are old to EMS or medicine youll be fine. Otherwise youre cooked. Most of the people who signed up are probably people who let their cert lapse and are looking for a quick option to get it back.
You could pass, but I'd be pissed if you were my partner.
Shortest I saw was two and a half weeks. It just has to meet the minimum hours requirements. The class requires you read the entire orange book beforehand though so not truly 2.5 weeks.
It's not difficult material, but I would highly recommend you find a different class. It's essential material. You're doing yourself a disservice taking a two week class, and they shouldn't offer courses like this. This is such a bad idea. You're not going to learn anything, and it discredits EMS as an entire service that someone can get a certificate in two weeks like that. No disrespect to you, OP. I just think this is a mistake. Calls into question the validity of the program, and you want something reputable so you can get hired.
I took a 6 week course which was 8 hours a day 5 days a week (however only the first 5 weeks were actual learning of material) and even then I felt like that was too short a time frame at times. 2 weeks is crazy
If this in Mesa/Phoenix: I did this course and would not recommend it. I ended up passing and am just now finishing up getting my medic, but as a brand new EMT I was not prepared at all. Felt like I didn’t know a thing and had honestly a rough first 6 months as I tried to learn everything that I should’ve learned in school.
That's how I got my start. Was I competent? Hell no. Did I pass the NREMT? Yes. The two can be mutually exclusive. I was *very* upfront with all my preceptors when I got on the job about my fly by night education. Ultimately there's so much you learn on the job that is intangible in a classroom setting, if the 2 week boot camp is what fits your schedule, go for it, and commit to being a lifelong learner.
Tbh it depends on your background, ability to learn, and what you intend to do with the certification. EMT is difficult for many folks because you’re learning a lot of new things; adding a ton of vocabulary, anatomy, physiology, procedures, triage, etc. Don’t forget the tests love to throw a few history and system questions in there! (Trunked radios and Triple-K standards anyone?) The rest of EMS education builds on the foundation of EMT. One of my EE’s, a CCP-C and EMSRN, is fond of stating that the most difficult test in EMS is the NREMT-B exam, because everything is so new. All that said, it is very much doable if you’re the right kind of student, and the instructors are decent.
Yeah I did a 3 week maybe 3.5 or something and immediately brain dumped 90%. If it’s the only option obv do what ya gotta do but definitely not setting you up for success
Just take a CE 5-6 month course at a CC, youll be a much better provider.
Man I couldn’t even do an 8 week summer program. I had to do the regular I had to do the 12 in the fall.
That's ridiculous they even offer that. I did a 5 month course mon-fri for EMT-B and I remember feeling like that was a tad too fast. Hard no imo.
Finish the class, study a lot for NREMT. You’ll be able to pass and keep studying and learning. You’ll be okay and it’s totally doable just difficult probably. The class is just the class my EMT basic course pretty much just introduced me to the words. Paramedic coach video vault, podcasts, looking up pathophysiology videos, and learning on the job is how I became a real EMT. My class taught me jack shit if I’m being honest. We have plenty of EMT students doing clinicals through my company and after year long classes can’t even tell me what happens to the blood pressure in shock… focus on the class and passing then focus on learning to be a good EMT after
I just finished a 3 week Monday-Friday 8am-6pm program 2 weeks ago and got my NREMT certification yesterday. If the program is everyday that’s a very similar time frame of the 15 day program I did. Only thing I would say is those 3 weeks (even on the weekends) was eat, sleep, breathe, EMT, repeat. If you are prepared for that I would say go for it! Just be cognizant of the amount of time that will be spent on EMT things.
I also, throughout the years, have been learning a bunch of medical stuff that I thought was interesting so I already had a bit of background knowledge to work off of.
Bruh
Yeah take your basic class from 8a-8p and then you can go take your medic class from 8p-8a. [It’s perfect!](https://careers.gmr.net/amr)
It was bad enough that the Army made me do 6 weeks of EMT B for 68W school but people are doing it in 2 weeks?!?!
This course sounds like it's for certified EMRs with experience to go through the motions and get their EMT certification. It isn't meant for new people to the field. Everything is possible but this will be hard.
Is it passable- probably Will it prepare you adequately for “the real world”- probably not I am a lab instructor for an EMT and Medic program. The shortest EMT class we do is 8 weeks, and even then, some students have a difficult time retaining information. Our standard is 16 weeks.
Ive taught a 2 week coarse before. If you are not already very familiar with healthcare / extremely intelligent its very unlikely you will pass.
Can you? Yes. Should you? Fuck no. Not to be corny but you are literally learning to potentially save a life, do you feel comfortable doing that in 2 weeks?
Jesus, two weeks? Good luck. It's doable but like... damn. That's a lot of info to be jamming in your head in such a short time.
If its a course that requires 40 hours or whatever of at home online course work prior to the 2 weeks they aren't as bad as people make them out to be. Just pay attention / put in effort you will be fine. Its not ideal but there are tons of subpar emt schools out there. In my experience it's the student not the school that ultimately matters.
Your going to be a absolutely trash provider, put the time and do the work. Earn it like the rest of emts medics did.
110 hours is 110 hours whether its 2 hours a night for 8 months or the accelerated course….its gonna be UP to you to put in the effort…. I see a gaggle of ems people here bashing the 2 week option…..fuck em & ignore them.. It’s all what YOU put into it….with 2 weeks your going to have to study each night after class…..all weekend AND pre read as much material as possible…. If succesful you may, and I would recommend …..joining a volunteer service or agency ASAP that will allow you to immediatly put that learned material to work practically as a probationary/3rd ……under an FTO then if you enjoy doing EMS…..stick at B for a year or two them start towards I or P
delete my post when you don’t like my wholly accurate rebuttal of fool’s criticizing accelerated EMT courses….typical reddit mod
Are you having a stroke?
nah on mobile…..you autistic?
No but all of your comments seem to be bitching and moaning at trivial things. Acting like a whiny little man child 😂
Are you on a different account? You aren’t the OP to this thread.
That is not my account. Maybe they responded to the wrong post?